With homosexuality deemed illegal in Qatar, a gay footballer has now expressed his concerns about the safety of others like him at the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The next edition of the World Cup has been marred by controversy, stemming from various claims of human rights abuse by those in the sport as well as civil rights organisations across the world.
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The host nation's government has been accused of, among other things, abusing migrant workers who are helping with the construction of tournament facilities, while the criminalisation of homosexuality in the country is indeed a fact and not an allegation.
In October 2021, Australian top-flight player Josh Cavallo came out as gay, becoming the first openly homosexual professional footballer in the world, according to various sources
The Adelaide United fullback, who is reportedly on the brink of being included in Australia's 26-man World Cup squad, has now revealed that he is concerned about the LGBTQI community's safety in the Gulf State.
"I know, personally, if I go there, I will be protected because I'm in the public eye," Cavallo told CNN.
"But it's not me that I'm worried about.
"It's those ones that are messaging me. It's those people that aren't in the public eye that are scared to even be themselves and walk the streets.
"To see that we're heading to a country that's criminalising people like myself... It's quite concerning."
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Nasser Al Khater, chief executive of the tournament's organising committee, issued a swift response to the 22-year-old, saying: "On the contrary, we welcome him here in the state of Qatar, we welcome him to come and see even prior to the World Cup... Nobody feels threatened here, nobody feels unsafe."
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WATCH QATAR WORLD CUP AMBASSADOR DAVID BECKHAM STATING FOOTBALLERS SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID TO BE OPENLY GAY:
